Custom Guitars for Good
Custom electric guitars, built by hand.You pay DH Lutherie for materials.You make a separate donation, equal to the quoted labor amount, directly to a charity you choose.
How it works
Design your dream guitar
Spec every detail in the builder, have us design one from your ideas, or have us duplicate a guitar you already love.
We build it
Whichever way you start, we send back a quote that separately lists materials and the labor amount you would donate directly to your chosen charity, plus an exact rendering of your guitar. Once you approve it, we build it.
You donate directly
You pay DH Lutherie for materials, then make the labor donation directly to the charity you choose.
It ships to you
Your own custom-spec guitar, delivered to you anywhere in the world. You pay for shipping.
Three ways to start
Build it yourself
- Start from a classic shape, or take the blank and draw your own body and headstock.
- Pick the woods, finish, neck, pickups and hardware, and watch it change.
- Drop in your own art for inlays, body graphics or a headstock logo.
Let us design it
- Upload photos of guitars you like. They don't have to match each other.
- Tell us how you play and what you want it to feel like.
- We come back with a design for you to approve or pick apart.
Duplicate an existing guitar
- Send photos of a guitar you own, borrowed, or always wanted.
- Tell us what has to stay the same and what you'd change.
- We build one like it, and put what you want on the headstock.
Where the money goes
You pay DH Lutherie
Materials
Wood, hardware, pickups, finish. Quoted up front.
You donate directly to the charity
Labor donation
The quoted value of the build hours, donated directly by you to the charity of your choice.
Questions
How much does a custom guitar typically cost?
It depends on what you pick. Materials run about $700 for a simple build with good basic parts. If you go with premium materials all the way (figured top, roasted neck, ebony fretboard, locking tuners, a tremolo, name-brand pickups, a sunburst lacquer finish), they can run up to about $2,500.
The separate charitable donation you make for labor usually lands between $800 and $3,000 depending on how complicated the build is.
So your materials payment and direct charitable donation together usually come out somewhere between $1,500 and $5,000. Your quote gives you the exact amount for each before you commit to anything.
We also offer limited pay what you can programs to help cover your direct donation.
How long does this usually take?
Once you get off the wait list, it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to build your custom guitar.
How does the donation work?
You make the donation for the quoted labor amount (or more if you like) directly to the charity of your choice. Show proof of your donation to receive the guitar.
Can I claim the tax deduction for the charitable donation I make toward the labor cost?
Of course. You're the one making the donation!
How does payment work?
Once you're off the wait list, your materials payment to DH Lutherie will be due. Once you pay that, the building of your guitar will commence.
You make the separate labor donation directly to your chosen charity. DH Lutherie will provide purchase receipts for everything upon request.
Do you ship?
Yes, anywhere in the world. You pay for shipping.
What if I live in a remote part of the world?
We'll ship your guitar anywhere on earth. Doesn't matter to us cuz you're paying for shipping anyway!
Is asking for a quote a commitment?
No. It's not a purchase. We send back a quote that separately lists the materials payment to DH Lutherie and the labor donation you would make directly to your charity, plus an exact rendering of your guitar. Nothing gets built until you approve it and payment for materials is confirmed.
What if I don't know what I want?
That's what Design it for me is for. Send photos of guitars you like, tell us how you play, and we'll design it for you to approve or pick apart. And for a $100 donation you make directly to the charity of your choice, you get unlimited revisions.
Can you build a copy of a guitar I already love?
Yes. Send photos through Duplicate and tell us what stays and what changes. We'll put whatever you want on the headstock. The one thing we won't put on it is another maker's name or logo.
Can I put my own art on it?
Yes. Drop your images into the builder for inlays, the front or back of the body, or the headstock, and tell us how you want it applied.
Do you build left-handed guitars, 7-strings and basses?
Yes to all three. Pick them in the builder.
Do you build acoustic guitars?
No. Electric guitars and basses only.
Something else? Ask us.
Ask us something
About DH Lutherie
A professional union electrician by trade, Dan Hartley is an amateur luthier based out of his home woodshop in Union City, NJ.
He came to guitars from scenic carpentry, building sets for television, film and live events, where the work has to be accurate, solid and on time. That same standard goes into every instrument.
Each guitar is built from scratch in a full woodworking shop, with hand tools and a CNC machine. The body and neck are cut from raw lumber, the frets are leveled and dressed by hand, and the finish and wiring are done at the same bench. One builder, one guitar at a time.